Jose Gomes Proud of His Players' 'Courage' as Reading Outperform Manchester United in FA Cup Defeat

​Jose Gomes expressed pride in his side after seeing them outperform Manchester United at Old Trafford despite a 2-0 loss. Reading had the better of possession throughout and created more chances than their opponents but couldn’t make those chances count.

Gomes, who took over the side firmly camped in the Championship relegation zone just three games ago, has offered hope to Royals fans with this performance. Reading sit five points adrift of safety but their performance at Old Trafford will offer hope that they can turn their season around.

Speaking to Reading's official club website, Gomes praised his player’s courage: “We get more possession than them, we shoot more times than them, we have more corners than them but in the end, we lost 2-0.

“It’s not easy because in the situation that we are [but] we show that we can control the game against a stronger opponent.”

Readingare arguably better off without the distraction of the cup and Gomes now faces the challenge of guiding the club to Championship safety. Whilst the Portuguese manager was full of praise for his side, he is also aware of key aspects that were missing from the defeat to Manchester United adding:

Good work by Rinomhota down the right, nipping past Jones with ease, the United defender charging out recklessly. But his cross is well cleared by Dalot with Reading forwards waiting to pounce. #MUNvREA

“For the other side, this is not enough, is missing in our side, killer instincts - in the right moment we get the ball around the opposition box but is missing the last pass - to put the ball in the net. In the end, if we don’t score, we will suffer.”

Gomes did see enough from his players to convince him that they are on the right track. He finished by reflecting on moving the club forward and the challenges they face in the coming months.